Oregon lawmakers carefully crafted two laws to prevent pedophiles from using sexually explicit materials to lure and "groom" their child victims.

But a panel of three appeals court judges struck down the laws as "overbroad" [in Powell's Books v. Kroger].

The two laws levied fines and imprisonment for people "who intentionally furnish a narrowly defined set of sexually explicit materials to children who are 12 years old or younger," Oregon Attorney General John R. Kroger and his fellow law enforcement officials argued.

Tony Green, a spokesman for Mr. Kroger, said the two laws were passed overwhelmingly in the Oregon legislature and had strong support from law enforcement. However, the state had not decided whether to appeal the decision, he said Thursday.